iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🎉 Celebrating our postdocs! 🎉 This week is #PostdocAppreciationWeek — a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the researchers whose expertise, curiosity, and commitment advance knowledge and strengthen research in DEFENDER and beyond. A big shoutout to all DEFENDER postdocs...!

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

🚀 DEFENDER partner spotlight: the Flamand-lab: The Viral Virulence Factors group within the Rey Lab at the @institutpasteur.bsky.social works on elucidating the role of accessory proteins in the pathogenesis of viral hemorrhagic fevers.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

DEFENDER partner spotlight: the Kaderali lab. The Kaderali group (wordpress.kaderali.org) focuses on computational and AI-based methods for the analysis and integration of complex biomedical data, combining expertise in bioinformatics, computer science, mathematics, and statistical modelling.

wordpress.kaderali.org

The Kaderali Lab

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The Correia Lab at EPFL focuses on developing computational tools for protein design and immunoengineering, integrating method development with the experimental characterization of designed proteins.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

A great event yesterday celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Leibniz Association’s European Office in Brussels! 🎉 We were delighted to present @DEFENDER consortium. Thank you @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de for hosting, and to all DEFENDER partners for their continued commitment to our shared mission!

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

DEFENDER partner spotlight: the Maisner lab: At the Institute of Virology in Marburg, the Maisner Lab is dedicated to advancing our understanding of the cell biology of highly pathogenic Nipah virus.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

DEFENDER partner spotlight: the Steinmann lab The Steinmann lab in the Molecular and Medical Virology (MMV) department at @ruhr-uni-bochum.de primarily focuses on the interplay between viruses and host cells, with particular emphasis on understanding the cell entry mechanisms of various viruses.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

DEFENDER partner spotlight: the Aguzzi-lab: The Aguzzi lab is located at the Institute for the Science of the Aging Brain (#ISAB) in St. Gallen.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Great DEFENDER Seminar today with two highly engaging and insightful talks! Birthe Ehlert presented their approach to a comprehensive genome-wide CRISPR screen on HEV, providing valuable insights and takeaways that will be highly relevant for many of the other DEFENDER screening efforts.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Partner spotlight: the @pfaenderlab.bsky.social-lab: Our group at the @leibnizliv.bsky.social focuses on understanding how emerging viruses interact with host cells by using advanced cellular model systems, including three-dimensional organoids that better reflect the complexity of native tissues.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

The DEFENDER Seminar took place yesterday again, featuring two excellent talks from Victoria Taylor (on the establishment and optimization of a DENV CRISPR screen) 🦟🦠 and Suman Khan (on the characterization of NiV entry using cryo-EM) 🔬 It’s great to see these projects progressing. Keep it up! 🚀

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Great news from the DEFENDER network 👏 Congrats to our coordinator and @leibnizliv.bsky.social PI Stephanie Pfänder @pfaenderlab.bsky.social on her official start as W3 Professor this month at the @uni-hamburg.de, supported by the @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de Programme for Women Professors.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Yesterday we hosted the second session of the DEFENDER PhD/Postdoc Seminar Series... and it was a fantastic dive into cutting-edge screening science 🚀 We had two great talks: 👉 Quality control and analysis of arrayed CRISPR screen results by Adriano Aguzzi.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

February 11 marks the *International Day of Women and Girls in Science*, highlighting the importance of equal participation in STEM. 🔬 🦠

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Congratulations to Alex from the DEFENDER consortium on receiving funding for her research on Nipah virus infection. Her research sheds critical light on how this highly dangerous virus enters the CNS, spreads, and shapes immune responses using advanced cell and tissue models.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Recent reports from West Bengal remind us why Nipah virus research and surveillance cannot be reactive, it has to be continuous.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

First session of the DEFENDER-internal PhD/Postdoc Seminar Series yesterday!! Awesome talks by DEFENDER postdocs Wing Hang Ip and George Ssebyatika. Exciting science, exciting times ahead! 🚀

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Season’s Greetings from DEFENDER ❄️🕯️🎄 Wishing you a restful, calm, and cozy holiday season and a strong, healthy, and inspiring 2026 ahead!

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Last week, our symposium wrapped up with a DEFENDER-internal program on day 2 at the @leibnizliv.bsky.social! 💪 It was fantastic connecting in person with so many brilliant minds — discussing ongoing projects, exploring new collabs, and sharing ideas that move our consortium forward. #FundedByEU

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

What an incredible experience at DEFENDER 2025: International Symposium — huge thanks to all participants for the inspiring discussions and great energy! 💡 We loved exchanging ideas on emerging viruses, new methods & cutting-edge research.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Today’s the day! 🎉 We’re looking forward to the DEFENDER 2025: International Symposium in Hamburg, bringing together experts to foster international scientific exchange, strategic project planning, and interdisciplinary networking across virology, immunology, and related fields.

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Reposted by DEFENDER

COMBINE MARV Project @combinemarvproject.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

🌍 Join us at the @defender-project.bsky.social International Symposium for a keynote by our #combineMARV coordinator @christian-7.bsky.social! 🎟️ Register free of charge for a day of insights, collaboration & global exchange 🔗 lnkd.in/eY9JwzXY #PandemicPreparedness #Collaboration #EUfunded

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

👏 Featuring @alexkupke.bsky.social at the Philipp University of Marburg. We’re excited to highlight Alex Kupke, a DEFENDER partner based at the Institute of Virology at Philipp University of Marburg. Her research plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of high-consequence viral threats.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

🚀 Introducing Andrea Maisner Andrea is a renowned virologist whose research is at the forefront of understanding Nipah virus — a highly pathogenic zoonotic paramyxovirus with no approved vaccines or treatments.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

🚀 Meet @lisa-oestereich.bsky.social Lisa is a leading virologist based at the BNITM in Hamburg, Germany. Her research focuses on some of the world’s most dangerous viruses — including Lassa, Ebola, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses.

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Reposted by DEFENDER

Leibniz-Institut für Virologie (LIV) @leibnizliv.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Wie vermehren sich neu auftretende Viren wie das Coronavirus – und steckt darin der Schlüssel für neue Therapien? Prof. Stephanie Pfänder gibt im Video Einblicke in die Arbeit ihrer LIV-Forschungsgruppe "Emerging Viruses". youtu.be/eKZr3nhqeB0?... @pfaenderlab.bsky.social @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de

youtu.be

Forschungsgruppe Emerging Viruses (Prof. Dr. Stephanie Pfänder)

YouTube video by Leibniz-Institut für Virologie (LIV)

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

We’re excited to introduce Mark Broenstrup, Head of the Department of Chemical Biology at the @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social (HZI), as a PI in the DEFENDER project. His team brings cutting-edge expertise in the design and optimization of bioactive compounds for therapeutic use.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Introducing @chlandalab.bsky.social – an expert at the frontier of structural virology! Petr leads a research group dedicated to understanding how viruses interact with cellular organelles and manipulate host cells for replication.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

🚀 Introducing Bruno Correia Bruno leads a cutting-edge research group at EPFL focused on developing computational tools for protein design, with a strong emphasis on immunoengineering applications like vaccines and cancer immunotherapy.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Spotlight on Lars Kaderali We’re proud to shine a light on Prof. Dr. Lars Kaderali, a driving force behind the integration of artificial intelligence in biomedical research.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

We're excited to share a recent SWR NANO feature highlighting DEFENDER that takes us behind the scenes of the impressive work done by the @chlandalab.bsky.social Lab at @uniheidelberg.bsky.social! 🧬 The feature starts at minute 18:58 – be sure to tune in! 👉 www.3sat.de/wissen/nano/...

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Spotlight on Marie Flamand Meet Marie, a virologist leading groundbreaking research at @institutpasteur.bsky.social Paris. Marie and her team have already made waves in understanding how dengue, Zika, and Rift Valley fever viruses impact human health.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Eike Steinmann heads the Department of Molecular & Medical Virology at @ruhr-uni-bochum.de 🧬. His team is at the forefront of groundbreaking research, exploring RNA virus replication mechanisms and transmission routes, with a focus on flavi- and coronaviruses.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

👉 Introducing Thomas Strecker We’re excited to introduce Thomas, a @defender-project.bsky.social partner working at the @unimarburg.bsky.social! Thomas and his research group focus on unraveling the infection mechanisms of Lassa virus (LASV) – a major public health threat in West Africa 🌍 .

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Featuring @goffinetlab.bsky.social at @lstmnews.bsky.social We're proud to collaborate with leading virologists working to combat emerging viral threats. Christine, a DEFENDER partner at the LSTM, is making significant strides in studying alphaviruses, including chikungunya and Mayaro viruses.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

🚀 Meet Adriano Aguzzi 🧠🔬 Adriano Aguzzi, PI at UZH, has dedicated his career to unraveling the relationship between the immune system and prion diseases. His cutting-edge research employs high-throughput CRISPR screens to pinpoint key factors in prion replication and infection susceptibility.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

✨ Spotlight on @kreylab.bsky.social ! ✨ 🧪 At the Universität zu Lübeck, DEFENDER PI Thomas Krey and his team are at the forefront of structural virology, investigating how viral glycoproteins interact with the immune system and how virus capsids assemble.

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

🌟 Meet our first PI and project coordinator: @pfaenderlab.bsky.social! 🌟

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DEFENDER @defender-project.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

The DEFENDER project has officially launched! We are excited to kick off DEFENDER (Identification of Novel Viral Entry Factors and Development of Antiviral Approaches), an EU-funded initiative under the 2024-DISEASE-08-20 call, focused on pandemic preparedness and response. 🔗 defender-project.org

defender-project.org

DEFENDER

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